I'm terribly sad these days because of the upbringing my parents thought it best to envelope me with as a youth.

The idea that men and women are equal.

Two human beings with a mutual attraction on one or more levels, whom come together in a healthy nature of respect, love, and possibilities.

Children became a natural extension of this, and we were 5 strong over 16 of the 19 years they continually considered and followed through with it.

I mean.... the youngest, the black sheep of the family... the prodigal "girl" that never seemed to come, arrived just before I recieved my drivers license.

Can you imagine being 15 years old and looking at your 1 day old sibling in your arms and thinking, I'm old enough to be your father?

Yes, yes, we quickly dispersed with the uncomfortableness of her foreign gender and began tossing her amongst ourselves like a football when mom wasn't looking... but she loved it, probably both of them were laughing somewhere in that mix. Alright...maybe one of them was unduly quiet.

Happy to say that the little girl in my arms has nearly grown up, and has just recently grabbed her driver's license. In the process, I've seen her drop at least 3 brothers in crotch kicking contests, 3 brothers in verbal jibes and quickwittery (is that even a word?), and is top of the pops for every honor roll and community effort out there.

The world is her oyster, yet she's confused. Not about her academic achievements or her philanthropy... She's confused about her gender and what she should expect and give.

She's a mess. We all were integral parts in raising her the "same" as all of us. No more or less, and she was happy to be a part of the family until this now close age to adulthood... hence the problem. She watches television, mingles with other young girls/women,and feels the full brunt of a culture that doesn't understand her. Not like a disenfranchised goth, or teen angst candidate...rather as a someone reasonably well adjusted in modern Western world... and a world to boot that called for the fruits of her experiences multiple decades ago.

But she's not 60 years old and she knows it.

So here I ponder what culture says it is, says as it wants it to be known it does, and pretends to know what is utopian in any future wishes. After all, how many milleniums did men and women peacefully exist together before feminism, before 20th century rewriting?

She's damaged goods, because she has ideals which can't be compared to anything in her immediate adult life, probably for the rest of her life, so she suffers.

I hope the best for her, but can't help but to look around and admit defeat on this.

Feminism, sexism, any 'ism, has delivered far more harm than it's helped.

Much like an occupation force in Baghdad attempting to install "democracy" with a heavy and quick hand.

Given time, humanity adapts and changes, and becomes comfortable with it's general makeup. Rushing it, forcing it, demanding it does as much harm as rejecting it, and reason enough for me to firmly believe that feminism and equality is a red herring misnomer meant to keep the people divided, and away from posing a threat.

What else can be more powerful than a couple whom join together in near total uniformity, produce children raised in such an enviroment, whom go on to be able to pick apart the bullshit from the organic mulch?

I'm guessing that feminists will see nothing wrong with your sister's general condition, and likely say that you or society needs to bend so that she fits in. When change agents try to destroy society from within, be they neo-cons or feminists they use the "try more of the medicine before it works properly" arrgument.

But it's more like the "when you find yourself in a hole - keep digging" state of mind.

My guess is also that with the healthy upbringing that your sister had, she is going to figure it out and do just fine.
I still believe as Dr. Henry says that there is the feminism of equality and the feminism of gender. The former is admirable and really no different than the traditional values we were all inculcated with, i. e., treat women with respect and equality in as much as humanly possible.
The latter is a fanatic grab for power at the expense of men. All special interest groups function in this matter, starting with a kernel of a good idea and then slowly but surely expanding from an adovcacy for fairness and equality to a power play for dominance. The end result is always a battle for superiority, not equality. Of course, this plays perfectly into the Hegelian conflict paradigm of the New World Order.

__________________
\"...if the American people ever find out what we have done, they will chase us down the streets and lynch us.” George H. W. Bush, Sr., 1992.

Damaged goods in the sense that she was never inspired to use her feminity as a power tool, and now thrust into a world that actively does, she's in effect considered damaged by many of her feminist friends, teachers, and acquantainces when she states a more well rounded view, and above that actually lives and acts it to some degree every day.

I don't have a problem with women being equally capable. In fact, my sister was raised by us on a steep curve to do all the things we did, and hopefully better than we could. Our parents did the same for all of us.

Feminism is a failed experiment in my opinion. It at one time was something legitimate, but now it's a double edged sword. It's a form of manipulation which permits proponents to demand equality while simultaneously placing themselves on a Barbie pedestal, teasing eyes and sowing discourse in their very argument.

Not all feminists, but the bulk that I have come to know and witness in the media.

It is sexism, and a reason that one day, men will need to invoke a macho rights theme to make things equal.

Many women have been led to believe that they can have their cake and eat it too.

Unfortunately, or quite frankly, fortunately, my sister was never instilled with such bad values, and that is why she is damaged goods, to her peers.

Feminism is just another reason why marriages, relationships, and social order have fallen apart over the last 30 years.

It's a divide and conquer weapon and unwittingly unknown or ignored by feminism since the movement is defunct, opportunistic and running amuck to ill effect.

NS: I think I misunderstood your point about "damaged goods". What I projected on to your description was what I see sometimes in young women: a competitive grasping for resources all out of proportion to reality. They may not mind kicking guys in the crotch (figuratively) because they are "only"* girls and deserve every advantage. Layered on top of that is the feeling that once success comes to them, a feeling of emptiness descends as they have lost all attachments to God, Mother Earth, men etc.

I think I projected quite a lot, but your description was kind of poetic or something...

It behoves the woman to understand this in love and submission. Thus do the righteous couple walk the path of joy and happiness.

Any discussion of feminism always seems to gravitate toward this concept of submission. Within secular humanist society submission has become a virtual four-letter word (ironically, as part of a social paradigm that is more controlled than any in the history of mankind).
Submission is actually a very beautiful thing, one of the greatest expressions of love, loyalty and unselfishness. Without submission, literally nothing would be accomplished in this world. I think like Draken says, it is more a question of whether one is submitting to the right entity for the right reason.
IMO, in a successful marriage both partners submit to each other, albeit in different ways. They each forfeit portions of their own independence in order to "form a more perfect union". Without submission, how can there be commitment?

__________________
\"...if the American people ever find out what we have done, they will chase us down the streets and lynch us.” George H. W. Bush, Sr., 1992.

this wrote:
NS: I think I misunderstood your point about "damaged goods". What I projected on to your description was what I see sometimes in young women: a competitive grasping for resources all out of proportion to reality. They may not mind kicking guys in the crotch (figuratively) because they are "only"* girls and deserve every advantage. Layered on top of that is the feeling that once success comes to them, a feeling of emptiness descends as they have lost all attachments to God, Mother Earth, men etc.

I think I projected quite a lot, but your description was kind of poetic or something...

* hey don't blame me - out of girls mouths

:lol:

Apologies, I'm male.. Unless you paint me a total picture, I'm up a creek without a paddle on the mind reading thought projection intuitions. Joke :-D